The design of a product or a space is significantly connected to its materiality. Within this context, the surface with its sensory characteristics plays a central role, as do aspects such as function, quality, sustainability or integrated technology. Experimental material research embodies a substantial tie between knowledge of materials and competence in realising material-related tasks, as well as the ability to comprehensively analyse the technical and design implications of materials, use their potential creatively and expand their scope in innovative ways. In today's technological and sociocultural context, materials find themselves in a complex web of interrelationships, which enables new technical and contentual connections and combinations. A creative engagement with them, unlimited by particular material categories, opens up connections to many different fields of application, from which new areas of action and competencies for design can be developed.

Topics dealt with in the field of experimental material research are for example »Soft Technologies«, »Textile Techtonics«, »Interactive Interfaces«, »Biomimetic Design«, »Future Crafts«, »Sustainable Design«, »Sensory Design«, »E-Textiles and Physical Computing«, or »Functional Surfaces in a Spacial Context«.

With both research areas, 'Functional Surfaces in an Architectural Context', and 'Sensory Soft Interfaces' within the contexts of Body-Object-Space, the department of Textile and Surface Design sets itself the objective of firmly rooting the experimental materials research in design, long-term and sustainably, at Weissensee Academy of Art Berlin.

Through interdisciplinary cooperations with various technology, cultural and economic partners, a realistic implementation of visionary, ambitious design concepts is enabled.